A Strange Sense of Deja Vu: The 76th Hunger Games
by Telling Time Backwards
Summary: 'She'll have to die for me to live. The thought dawns on me and suddenly I hate myself.' Once again, the lovestruck 13-year-old boy is forced into the arena with the one he loves. He can't take the Loverboy angle, so what will he do to save her?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Not Suzanne Collins. Y'see, she can publish books. I on the other hand am just a kid of a certain age.**

**Okay… enjoy!**

The top of my lip sweats. My palms itch. I'm staring at the twelve-year-old section. I'm actually staring at someone _in_ the twelve-year-old section. Karma. This is her first reaping and I think I'm going to pass out. _She_ on the other hand looks perfectly fine, but I'm in the thirteen-year-old section, so it's hard to tell.

She's looking at a group of girls who are whispering to each other in disgust. They're disgusted by her, but she shares the same look on her face. When they turn around, she points her finger into her mouth and pretends to gag.

Man, I love her.

"Ladies first!" Effie Trinket squeals and plunges her hand into the girl's sphere. I'm sweating buckets and mustering "Not Karma. Anyone but Karma." to myself. Well, let me tell you, the next words that come out of Effie's mouth almost make me laugh at the irony. Then I remember what this means.

"Karma Bentee! Karma!" Effie yells.

"What?" Karma says back, making it clear that she wasn't listening. "Who said my name?" she raises her well-used fist.

"Yoo-hoo!" Effie sings. "You've just been selected as the female tribute!"

"Oh. Well great!" she says sarcastically. "I just can't wait to die." I know she's trying to sound strong, but I hear her voice wavering slightly. She walks up to the stage, her hands on her stomach as if she's about to vomit. I think I might too.

"Let's give a round of applause everyone!" Effie squeals. All of District Twelve claps slowly, hesitating at first. Effie pouts. "Yes… now on to our male tribute!"

She dramatically plunges her hand into the ball and reads: "Augustine Powers!"

Oh. No. suddenly my mind goes back to two months ago. Back when Karma got into one of her many famous fights. Two sixteen year olds- one of the being Augustine- were picking on Karma, tugging her hair and spitting on her.

"Hey!" She'd yelled. "You'd better watch it unless you want be to rearrange both of your faces… actually, that might actually _help_ you both get a date, so I'd be doing you two a favor."

"Oh, yeah?" the other one said cracking his knuckles, "Looks like this little girl is full of some hot-air."

"Let's knock some of it out, shall we?" Augustine said. His friend nodded and they got closer to Karma.

Well, by the time she was done with them, listing all their injuries would take a week. It's be easier to just say she _broke _their faces, escaping with just a small cut on her cheek. Her ring on her right hand helped her with that, and she hasn't taken it off since.

I snap back out of my flashback when I she Augustine walk onstage, _still_ sporting two black eyes. The look on his face was unmistakable. _You're first_, it said. My mouth knew what to do before I did and before I knew it, I was flailing my arms around screaming "Wait! I volunteer!" I run to the stage and push Augustine off muttering "Get off." to him. When he falls on his face, he curses.

"My name is Casey! Casey Lankan!" I scream into the microphone.

"Wow." Effie says. "First Miss Katniss Everdeen and now you… Casey. District 12 _really_ starting to understand these Games."

Karma is staring at me like I'm crazy, and I don't like it. After Effie acknowledges us one more time, the Peacekeepers take me to a room where my friends and family have one hour to say goodbye. First comes my friend, Edwin.

"Why did you do that?" He yells. "Do you just _want_ to die? Is that what you want? 'Cause I swear I can kill you right now!"

"Calm down. That guy, Augustine, he was going to kill Karma." I say.

"So? She'll have to die for you to live, man." He says. "And, besides, why do you care?"

_She'll have to die for me to live._ The thought dawns on me and I suddenly I hate myself. "Get out, Edwin." I say, putting my face in my hands as I hear him walk out of the room. None of my family comes, but I didn't expect them. None of them like me. I was the unwanted child. For the next fifty eight minutes that I have alone, I do what I know I can't for my short- because I know it will be short- life. I cry.

I'm able to choke up the rest of my tears before the Peacekeepers take me to the train. I look around for Karma and find her struggling with another pair of Peacekeepers. They are trying to hold each of her arms, but she's twisting and yelling, "Don't touch me!" and I hear her mutter "Idiots." under her breath,

I see Katniss and Peeta- our mentors- board the train, hand-in-hand.

When the Peacekeepers show me my room on the train, I shut myself in, playing the events of they day over and over again. It feels like I've only been in here for a few minutes, but I must've been here for hours because Effie knock on my door and sings, "Dinnertime!"

Unwillingly, I leave my room and follow her to the dining room. Before I open the doors, I smell food that's unfamiliar to me. The smell is unbelievably sweet, so I push open the doors and scramble to the first open chair that I see. I look around the table amazed- there isn't this much food in the world!

Then, Karma walks in, wearing an old T-shirt and sweatpants that are twice her size. She must have convinced the Peacekeepers to let her bring some clothes from home, which is almost impossible. Anyway, she stops in her tracks, her mouth hanging open.

"Yes!" She yells. "This is enough food to feed the whole district!" She takes a running start and jumps five feet in the air, landing perfectly on a chair. Katniss and Peeta smile. Everyone is looking at Karma. Everyone obviously loves Karma's attitude- everyone but Effie, who has a thing for table manners apparently.

Karma sits down and helps herself to a part of some circle food with cheese and crust on the outer edge. She takes a huge bite and moans in delight. "What is this?" she asks to nobody in particular.

"Pizza." Katniss tells her.

"Oh. I like it." she whispers in a weird voice. Then she starts laughing to herself.

"So," Peeta says, "We'll be starting training tomorrow, so we were wondering who you wanted for a mentor."

"Actually," Katniss says, "Maybe you can take K-"

"Casey? Okay." Peeta says. He has an exited tone in his voice that I can't help but notice.

"Well I was going to say Karma, but okay." Katniss says. "So what are your guys' specialties?"

Karma shrugs and says, "I don't know."

"What?" I say, before I can stop myself. "That's insane. You can punch someone across a field, you know every single pressure point on a _human body_, you're the best wrestler in the twelve, thirteen,_ and_ fourteen year-old age group, and you always make it a habit to stab things with any sharp object you find. Not to mention that you_ also_ turned Augustine into a human… this:" I point to some bread that's tangled and crossed in weird directions.

"That's called a pretzel" Peeta says. I look up and see him laughing silently to himself and know I said too much. I panic and look over to Karma. She's looking at me in a twisted, creeped out look.

"You wrestle?" Katniss asks, oblivious to what just happened, "So does Peeta! Could you show us a few moves?"

"Well, actually," Peeta says, "It's about 7:30. Let's have thirty minutes to talk to the… tributes in their rooms." Without getting my "OK," Peeta grabs my wrist, walks to me my room and opens the door, still smiling. We walk in and he shuts the door behind him.

"I'm going to ask you the same thing that Haymitch asked me two years ago." He says. "How long have you liked her?"

"Wh- what? Who? You mean_ Karma?_ I don't like her! Pfft!" I say. The only problem is, I'm a terrible liar.

"How long?" He prods, grinning. I sigh, already defeated.

"Just three years." I say blushing like a tomato. "How did you find out anyways?" I ask.

"I'd know that look anywhere. It's been plastered to my face for the past fourteen years." he says. Oh yeah, Katniss. "What are you going to do?" he asks.

Suddenly, I know exactly what I want. "We're going to be the last ones standing. Then, she's going to win. I don't know how, but she is." I say.

"You sure?" He asks.

"Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't make a plan to die unless it was for someone who I care about."

"Okay, then let's go. If she's going to win, then you're going to have to now each other pretty well." He grabs my wrist- again- and pulls me to Karma's room. He opens the door and pulls me inside.

"Katniss, Love," He says, "Come outside, I need to tell you something."

"Uh, okay." She says. Peeta winks at me and gives me the thumbs-up sign before closing the door and leaving us alone. I'll get him. I turn around slowly, facing Karma.

"Hey," I say awkwardly so that it comes out like "Heyyyyy…" I cough. "Peeta thinks we should- uh- get to know each other before the Games."

"Okay," she says, hesitantly, "Sit down." She pats a spot on her bed and I sit there, crossing my legs. She does the same.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" She asks.

"Uh.. Who's in your family?" I say, "Like siblings or parents or… something."

"Well, I have a dad, a mom, two older brothers, and six younger brothers. Oh! And my mom hates me." She says.

"Why?" I ask.

"She thinks I should act like a 'girl'. You see, _her_ definition of a girl is somebody who gossips and giggles and wears skirts and doesn't spit for distance. But do you know what? My personality doesn't say weather I am a girl or not, they way I was _born_ does." She says, anger rising in her voice. "She thought that if I acted like a 'boy' then I had to look like one; she cut my hair while I was asleep."

I look behind her head and sure enough, it was shorter than most girls' hair in District 12. Most girls in District 12 never cut their hair, but Karma's was right above her shoulders. I always thought she did that herself, but I'm kind of happy knowing that she didn't.

"Oh… I'm sorry for bringing it up. Uh so how's life in the Town? Being from the Seam, I wonder constantly." I admit.

"It's horrible. We're the poorest family, and technically, we're not even supposed to like in the Town because of how little money we have. Everyone in my house wants to go to the Seam, but my mother insists that the Town will improve our 'image' or something. Ugh"

"Wow, she seems like _quite_ the parent." I say, sarcastically. "So if she's so bad, how did you end up like you did?" I ask.

"Nine boys in the house. She was outnumbered. And nobody in my house even likes her." she says.

"Not even your dad? Doesn't he love her?" I ask.

"Don't tell me you believe in that fairy-tale junk too!" she yells.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Love doesn't exist. It's just something people say, a myth." She says.

Then, my heart feels like glass that's about to shatter. Any chance I had with her was completely ruined.

Because if the one you love doesn't believe in love… how are they supposed to love you back?


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Too tired to think of some witty joke about how I'm not Suzanne Collins. Sorreh. **

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><p>I stare at Karma, not wanting to believe it. Sure, I had almost no chance of ever having her, but now it's pretty much impossible. She doesn't believe in love!<p>

I get up and leave the room. I hear her yell, "Well, goodnight to you too!" before I close the door. I crawl into my bed and force myself to sleep. Big mistake. I dream of Karma- nothing new- but she's yelling really insulting things at me.

"_Ha! Love_ you?_ You may be dreaming, but this isn't a dreamland where everything is the way you want it!" She yells. "And why did you volunteer? You are so _stupid!_ This isn't Katniss and Peeta we're talking about. I love you about as much as I love my stupid mother!"_

"_Why?" I ask, not able to hide the hurt in my voice_

"_It's obvious: Love doesn't exist. And loving_ you _is some stupid fantasy that will never, not _ever_, happen." She walks towards me, so close that our noses are touching. "Never." She whispers._

I wake up, panting. Overnight I've broken into a huge sweat. Effie bursts into my room and looks delighted that I'm already awake.

"Oh, goodie! Your awake! Breakfast is in five minutes, so be ready!" She squeaks. I don't get ready, I just simply follow her into the dining room. I sit in a chair and stare at the brown liquid in the cup by my plate.

"It's called hot chocolate." Peeta tells me as he walks in. "Try it."

I take a sip and instantly regret it. It burns my tongue and it's too hot to swallow, but I shut my eyes and swallow anyways, burning my throat.

"Ouch." I say. "That hurt my mouth, Peeta."

"Sorry. But in my defense, it _is _called _hot_ chocolate." He says. Just then, Karma bursts into the room, arguing with Effie.

"Be_cause_ I'll look _stupid_!" Karma yells.

"Oh, you'll look so _pretty_!" Effie pleads. "Please?" I notice that Effie's holing a lacy purple dress that balloons out at the bottom and has a lot of ruffles.

"No! Sorry, maybe some other girl _next_ year. Gosh." Karma yells. She eyes the cup of hot chocolate. "What's that?" She asks.

"Hot chocolate. Careful, it's hot." I say. Then I realize how stupid I must have sounded._ Of course it's hot!_ Anyway, Karma and I scarf down our breakfast and then meet with our mentors.

"So, Casey," Peeta says, getting right down to business, "What are your specialties?"

"Oh- that's easy- camouflage." I say, remembering all the times I concealed myself in trees or bushes or something, looking at Karma for hours. My face burns and I know I'm blushing. "And I can build traps." I say.

"Great! Just what Karma will need." Peeta says.

"Wait- _what_?" I say. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Katniss and I planned for you to be allies with Karma through the whole Games. In fact, Katniss is probably telling her this right now." Peeta says with a shrug.

I slap my hand on my forehead. "You did_ what_?" I yell. "I can't- I don't… why?"

"Because, it was either that or you join the Career pack. And coming from somebody who had no other choice- me- that's not the best idea. Now, you want to be the last two standing, right?-" I nod- "And you want her to win, right?-" I nod again. "Okay, then it's settled. You two are allies. Don't worry, it'll be fine." He says with a reassuring smile.

"Okay." I say. We spend the rest of the day talking strategy until dinner.

At dinner, I'm about to take a bite out of my pizza slice when Karma bursts through the door again, running on a full-on sprint. Effie is chasing after her, running as fast as she can in those ridiculous high-heels, holding the same dress from earlier.

"Just try it on!" Effie begs, panting. Effie tries to come close but Karma backs away, feeling for something on the dinner table. She grabs a ladle and hides it behind her back. Effie starts to run again but Karma fills the ladle with something they call gravy and positions herself in fighting stance.

"One more step and the dress gets it!" She threatens. Effie squeals, puts her hands up, and drops the dress. "Good." Karma says and sits down.

"So, Casey," Karma says, still panting a little. "I hear we're allies now." I nod my head, chewing my crust. Karma looks disheveled and her hair is a mess. I'm guessing Effie was chasing her for a while. Karma grabs a hair-tie from her wrist and puts her hair in one on a high point on the back of her head, letting he bangs fall in her face. She has the perfect Seam look, as do I, except I have bright green eyes instead of grey for some reason.

I finish my pizza, eat mashed potatoes, and go straight to my room. I flop on my bed and fall into a dreamless sleep, which was much more peaceful than last night. The next morning, Effie wakes me up extra early to tell me my prep team is here to make me "camera-ready" for the opening ceremonies because we've arrived late in the Capitol late and have to get ready on the train. Three women come into my room. They all look like they went swimming in a liquid rainbow.

"Oh. My. Gosh!" One of them screams. "You are just _so handsome_!"

"I could just eat you up!" Squeals another one.

"Okayyyy," the third one says, "We'll be back in two minutes. Take off your pj's while we're gone."

Then they leave. I unbutton my shirt and slip off my pants and undershorts. Then, I realize they haven't left me any clothes to change in. I hear their voices in the hallway, run to the bathroom, grab a towel, and wrap it around my waist just in time.

They come in and see me sitting on my bed and frown. Then, without a word, one pulls me up and rips the towel from my waist. I instinctively cross my arms across my naked body.

"Look, you have a nice body. Nothing to be ashamed of." Another one says. I slowly open my arms and fight the urge to retrieve the towel. They squeeze my arms and my stomach, fussing over how hard and "toned" my muscles are for a thirteen-year-old boy. I decide I don't like them. One of the ladies goes to the door and opens it. I run to the bathroom and hide behind a door, not wanting anyone else to see me. She returns with a big sparkly box and a massive bag that I'm assuming holds my costume. The two other women sit me down on a chair and start fixing my hair.

"Excuse me," I say, "Can I put my towel back on, please?" My voice sounds scratchy because I haven't talked since I woke.

"No. Sorry honey." One says.

"Wha- why not?" I ask.

"You need to get used to this." Another says. I sigh. This is so embarrassing! Once they finish my hair, they move on to my face, brushing something on random parts of my cheeks, chin, and forehead.

"Stand up now." One says. I do as I'm told. They open the bag and take out a pair of undershorts and an undershirt. I slip them on, my comfort returning. Then, they take out a suit that's completely white. At first, I think there's nothing special about it, but then I notice big black patches that look like coal dust and the rips in it. The theme is that I just escaped from a coal mine. I slip on the pants and button up the shirt. Then I put on the jacket and they hand me fingerless gloves.

They squeal in unison and turn the mirror to face me. I have to admit, I look good. The black makeup on my face gives the impression that the coal has rubbed off on my skin. Somehow, they made my black hair look like it's been touched by coal as well. The rips in my clothes make me look like I was stuck in a mine for days.

They roll up my sleeves and tell me to flex as much as I can.

I blush. They give me shoes and rush me to a huge building. Peeta and I wait outside for Katniss and Karma, then I see them- or rather, I just see Karma, because everything else suddenly disappeared.

Karma's outfit is coordinated with mine, but she looks breathtaking. Her super straight- short- hair is down for once, and her bangs are pushed back by a dirty, white crown. She's wearing fingerless gloves as well, but they come up to her elbows, ripped and dirty. And she's wearing a dress! She never wears dresses! Not even skirts! Even on reaping day she wore shorts that were mistaken as a skirt. Anyway, her dress has one strap, the other "ripped" off. Her dress is tight but it's looser right under the hips and it's as long as right above her knees. Her legs, arms, dress, and face are covered with "coal dust". The white clothes pop off her olive skin. She wears boots that stop at her ankles and have a small heel. The other heel is "broken" off. The only part of the costume that makes me uncomfortable is the cut in the front of her dress, diagonally across her chest. I try my best to look away from there.

"Hey, you look great." she says to me.

"It's- it's nothing compared to you!" I say. I spin my finger around and she sighs. Then she twirls once, the bottom of her dress flies out like a white, blooming flower.

"Yeah, thanks." She says. Someone pushes us into the stadium and onto the horse-drawn carriage. The crowd erupts in cheers, making my head pound. Karma grabs my elbow, waving with her other hand. I follow her lead and wave as well. My waves are boring though. She's flopping her hand around and bouncing up and down. At this moment, she reminds me of a little girl. Her huge smile, her energy. I couldn't have asked for something better to look at right now.

She catches a flower between her teeth that was thrown from the audience. She takes it out and tickles my cheek with it. We start laughing, and I'm sure we're taking up all the camera space right now.

_Sorry, Careers_, I think to myself. Then I remember my prep team's advice and flex my arms, trying to make it look accidental. Obviously, it works. I see a nearby group of girls scream, point at me, and jump up and down. I wink at them and they go absolutely crazy: blowing kisses rapidly, screaming louder, jumping higher. Another group of girls give me the same reaction. Everything I do seems to drive them crazy; I brush my hair out of my eyes with my fingers and the number of teenage Capitol girls that are overreacting multiplies. Wow.

Suddenly, I feel the blood in my left arm pumping. I look at Karma and see her hand constricting my arm. I use this as an excuse to hold her hand, and she doesn't seem bothered.

With a flick of my wrist, I catch a flower that was thrown from the audience and tickle Karma's neck with it. She's taken off guard and giggles. Yes. She _giggles_. She covers her mouth as if she just said something completely foul, but really, she just uttered the most sweetest sound I've ever heard. It rang out like bells. I love bells now.

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><p>The day is over too soon for me. We go to an unfamiliar building where we'll be staying until the Games.<p>

"I can't wait to take this dress off." Karma mutters. I don't want her to, she looks amazing. She disappears into a room with a sign that has her name on it. Mine is right next door. I plop on my new bed, smiling. The sound of Karma's giggle rings in my head, only interrupted by the sound of her shower next door. _Shower!_ I've never been in a shower before! I kick off my shoes and my costume then turn on the water.

"Aah." I moan. After thirty minutes of showering, I put on my undershorts. No shirt. I'm too tired to find one.

I'm about to crawl into bed when I hear a knock on my door.

"Come in." I say. Karma walks in, looking slightly awkward.

"Casey?" She says.

"Yes'm?" I reply, honestly clueless about why she's here.

"I'm…. I'm scared to sleep in my room." She says.

"Why?" I ask.

"I just am… I was wondering if…" She trails off, looking out the window.

"Would you like to sleep in my room tonight?" I ask. She nods her head, happy that she doesn't have to say it. I scoot over so that she has room. She hesitates, then walks over to my bed, putting her head on the opposite side of mine, sleeping upside down.

"Thank you." She murmurs.

"Good night." I say back.

I drift off and fall asleep. I sleep for about a few hours when I'm awakened in the middle of the night, feeling Karma stirring, fast asleep. She turns over, her head right next to mine. Her hands curl up, and she moves in closer. She's still saying "Thank you." in her sleep.

"Your welcome, love." I say, even though she can't hear me. I close my eyes, knowing my dreams will be good tonight, so joy spreads through my body.

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><p><strong>AN: My first A/N for this story, yippee! I was going to post this in the morning today, but I had a volleyball game. *whispers* We won. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING: The theme song for this story is called Hero by Regina Spector. Youtube it please, it makes the story so much better in my opinion! Whenever there's a sad/intense part, the song plays subconsciously in my head so I decided to make it the theme song for this story. I'll be sure to make it pop up somewhere in the middle of the story. Also, this story is going to be a book series. So this is going to have a book two, three, and possibly four. I'm not making any promises, but that's my plan as of now. Lastly, to Ever Autumn13, the love is one sided because Karma doesn't believe in love so yeah… So thanks for reading! And thank you to my first three reviewers: Ever Autumn13, InkConqueror, and Catchsomezzz!**

**~Telling Time Backwards **

**P.S- I always feel like I'm forgetting something! I've been muttering "Shnaggin' flaggin' laggin'" to myself all day because I keep forgetting. (that's just what I say when I'm mad- I also say "Yes'm, so that's why Casey said that in this chapter)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I think you know.**

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><p>I hate Effie. She barged into my room this morning, twice as annoying as usual.<p>

"Oh, you two! You are just _adorable_!" She squeals. Karma wakes up from her position- her head being curled up in my chest- and flushes red.

She scrambles out from under the covers and runs past Effie, not saying a word to me. Well, not unless you count her saying "Oh, crap."

I raise my hands above my head, looking at Effie with the rudest glare I can manage.

"Sorry?" Effie says.

"Sorry… sorry?" I yell. "Unless you can create some kind of time machine and then_ not_ barge into my room, then 'sorry' isn't going to cut it." I go under my covers. Effie whimpers and walks out of my room. I take a shower and go over to the dining room for breakfast.

"Morning." I say, grumpily.

"Hey, Casey!" Karma says, "I saw the Opening Ceremonies this morning- we looked good! They even filmed some of the Capitol girls who were obsessing over you." She gives me two thumbs up and nods.

"They weren't _obsessing_," I say, defensively. "They're Capitol girls- I bet if they see bread pop out of the toaster they would pass out with joy."

"Oh, shut up, Casey," She replies. "They almost jumped out of the stands to tackle you. And I saw about twenty girls tell their parents to sponsor you. You're the best looking tribute since Finnick Odair."

I feel my face flush a violent shade of red. "Thanks." I say. I'm holding back a grin, but I think my face might shatter to pieces if I try any harder. I grab some eggs and bacon and take huge bites of each. Right after I swallow them, I burp.

"'S'cuse me." I say. Karma starts to chuckle, then she lets out the loudest, longest burp I've ever heard.

"Aah." She says. She pats her stomach. "_That_… felt good."

Effie looks at her in disgust. Karma and I exchange glances then burst out laughing.

"That's disgusting." Effie mutters.

I watch Effie as she leaves and give Karma a high five.

"Nothing is more fun than making Effie angry." Karma says. "Like this one time, I followed her down the hallway and made all these arm-farts behind her. She kept squealing and grabbing her butt. It was hilarious!"

We both burst out laughing. When the laughter dies down, Karma suddenly gets serious.

"Hey, Casey. Thanks for yesterday." She says, looking down at her fingers.

"Oh, no problem." I say. "You don't even need to ask. Just come in if you don't like your room."

"Really?" She says. "Thank you."

"Your welcome." I say. I smile at her, trying to reassure her. There's a long silence, and I notice that we're the only two people in the dining room when I hear Effie's heels clacking in the hallway.

"Oh!" Karma yells. "Quick! Hand me that plastic spoon!" I do as she says, curious at what she's doing. She puts a wad of mashed potatoes in the spoon. When Effie walks in, she holds the neck of the spoon and pulls back the top part. She lets go right as Effie opens the door, getting a spoonful of mashed potatoes in Effie's face.

"Run!" She yells at me. We dash around both sides of Effie and to my room. We close the door and lock it behind us, laughing hysterically. I high five her again.

"You two open the door this instant!" Effie yells, banging the door with her fist. "NOW!"

"No way!" Karma yells, still laughing, "Over my dead body!"

"Oh, I would so kill you!" Effie yells.

"Ha! I doubt you could_ catch_ me in those high heels!" She shouts back.

"Ugh! You two are just- augh!" Effie cries, storming off.

I'm laughing on the floor, holding onto my stomach and trying to breathe. "Did- did you see her face?" I say.

"Yeah! Oh my gosh, she's so-" Karma breaks off, unable to talk through the laughter.

We laugh for a good twenty minutes, when Effie comes back. "You two!" She yells though the door. "Get out here! It's training day!"

Karma opens the door and I'm right behind her. We're both still holding back our grins. We walk down the hallway, Effie behind us. I steal a sideways glance at Karma at the same time that she does and she both start snickering again.

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><p>"Okay," Karma says, "In front of the Gamemakers, we have to be serious. On the count of three, we have to stop smiling. Okay, ready?" She asks. I nod. "One…two… three!" She yells. We both hide our smiles.<p>

"You know what we should do?" I ask, stopping Karma from opening one of the doors in entrance to the training center.

"Nope. What?" She says.

"We should each open one door and walk in at the same time and make a loud noise so everyone can hear us." I say. "Just for fun."

"Okay. On three-"

"I want to count this time." I whine, purposely. "One…two…three!"

We push open the double doors and walk in at the same time, indeed making a loud noise with the doors. The tributes and the Gamemakers all look our way. Karma, being the teasing person she is, flutters her fingers in a wave at a big group of Careers who are bunched together. They look her up and down. I can tell they wish they had her attitude.

"Carry on." She says, pretending to be annoyed by everyone. The noise slowly rises again as people go back to what they were doing.

"Nicely played, my friend." I say to her.

"Hey, it was your idea. It got everyone's attention. Including the Gamemakers'." She says. We high five, low so that nobody can see. "So, which station do you want to go to first?" She asks.

"…There are some dummies over there." I point to the pile of untouched dummies near the back.

"You mean the Careers?" Karma asks. I look at her face and see that she's serious. I smile a bit

"Nope, there's a pile. Here, I'll show you." I say. In one swift movement, I grab Karma's hands and pull her on to my back.

"Whoa!" She yells. "What are you doing?" She's laughing. She crosses her legs around me, making sure she doesn't fall.

"We're going on a journey to the land of Stuffed Dummies That We Use To Practice Killing People." I say.

"Okay," She laughs, "I've always wanted to visit that place. I hear it's amazing!"

"Oh, it is!" I say, then dash to the dummies "Look! We're here!" I say.

"I call that one!" She points to the dummy that has a surprised expression on it's face and jumps off my back. At first I wonder why she wants it so bad, then I realize it has the same facial expression as Effie when Karma flung the mashed potatoes at her. I laugh and run after her.

She pinned up the dummy and took ten steps back, grabbing a knife. She squints her eyes and positions herself. She thrown the knife and hits it in the exact spot where the heart would be.

"Oh yeah!" She yells. "You try." She tells me, pulling the knife out of the dummy's chest and hands it to me. Ignoring my protests, she grabs my shoulders and positions me in the same spot that she was in. Then, she gets behind me. "Okay, go."

I bring back my arm and throw the knife. It lodges itself in the head.

"Nice!" She yells. "Do you want to go to the station to build fires?"

"Sure." I say. We walk over there, ignoring the Careers that are staring at us. Karma grabs logs, a rock, and a twig, getting straight to work.

A boy from District Two walks up to Karma. He's about thirteen or fourteen. "Hey, pretty." He says. I don't like the tone in his voice… it's not very _clean_. Karma stands up and puts her hands on her hips.

"Hi." She says, taking no interest in him. He gets closer and plays with her bangs. She clenches her right fist, her punching fist.

"You had a pretty dress at the Ceremonies." He says. He leans in, his mouth by her ear. "Especially the cut in the front. _That_ was my favorite part."

"Hey, back off!" I yell.

The boy looks over at me. "And if I don't?" He says in a menacing tone.

"Then a certain boy from District Two is going to get _tragically _injured soon." I say. I'm lying. I can't injure him! He's the biggest fourteen year old I've ever seen!

"You little b-" He says, raising his fist, but he's interrupted.

"The Public Training Session is over. Please take your seats in the hallway to begin private training. Thank You." Says a voice over the intercom.

"Tay!" A girl- I'm assuming from District Two- yells. "Let's go!"

"You got lucky, Twelve. Don't think I'm going to leave you alone." He threatens. I keep a blank, bored look on my face, even though I'm screaming on the inside. _I've just made an enemy… one that's probably going to try his best to kill me._

"Later, Pretty." He says to Karma and winks. Suddenly, anger rises in me._ Unless I kill him first. _

"Come on, Casey." Karma says to me, grabbing my arm. She pulls me into the waiting room and to the farthest seat from the door. One by one, tributes go into the training room, the applause from the Gamemakers getting quieter each time. Hours later, it's Karma's turn. She gives my arm a squeeze and leaves me alone.

I'm about to fall asleep when I hear a menacing scream coming from the training room, then loud applause. I'm scared to death, thinking that she got hurt, but she comes out of the room, looking fine. Pleased, even. She gives me a huge smile and a thumbs up before a man makes her leave.

I get up and walk into the training room.

"You may begin." A Gamemaker says. I nod and go straight to the knife throwing, mimicking Karma's position and shooting every dummy in the "heart" or the "brain". Then, I got to starting fires, lighting them, and using my jacket to hide the smoke. Last, I go to camouflage, not making any noise.

"Did he go already?" One of them asks. I snicker, then stand up from the "bush" that I was lying down in front of. There's a murmur between the Gamemakers, then excited applause. "You may go now."

I peel the leaves and branches off of myself and run out.

A man escorts me all the way to my room before leaving me alone, assuring that I won't try and escape. I'm about to open the door when Karma comes running down the hallway.

"Casey! They're going to show the scores! C'mon!" She grabs my hand and pulls me to a room with a TV. Katniss, Peeta, Effie, they're all on couches, looking at the TV. The boy from District Two shows on the screen. He got an eleven. Karma and I sit on a couch besides each other, both sitting cross legged. As the scores pass, finally it's time for District Twelve.

Karma squeezes my hand as her face appears on the screen. A big ten shows up next to her face. "Haha! Yes!" She yells.

My picture shown up on the screen, and I wait. Then, a big nine shown up. "Yeah!" I yell. We high five and stand up, both doing some kind of happy-dance.

"So, Karma," I say. "What was that screaming in the training room?"

"Oh," She says and laughs. "The Gamemakers looked bored when I just stabbed things, so I grabbed a dummy- the special one- and I screamed and ripped it's head off. Then I grabbed another dummy and showed different ways to break the neck and spine."

"Nice! I'm surprised you didn't get a twenty!" I say. We walk down the hall, forgetting about everyone else.

As we near her room, she looks like she wants to ask me something. I think she still doesn't like her room.

"Do you want to sleep in my room?" I ask her. She lights up and nods yes. I open the door to my room and sit cross legged on the bed. She does the same, like on the first night on the train.

"So," I say. "The special dummy- it's the one that made the face like Effie's, right?" I say.

"Yep, that's the one." She laughs.

For the next hour or so, we talk about things like school. It turns out Karma loves school and has the best grades in her class.

"Yeah, but I don't like people that much." She says. "But you're different… you're better. Much better." She yawns.

"Should we sleep now?" I ask.

"Yes. Tomorrow's the interviews. Ugh." She says.

I lay down on the pillow, and she does the same. She doesn't sleep with her head on the other side now. In fact, she curls up next to me.

"Good night, Casey." She says.

"Good night, Karma." I reply. _Wow. I never thought I would get to say _that.

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><p><strong>AN: Aww that's just nice. This A/N isn't going to be long because I spent forever on the computer and I didn't eat for like eight hours. Tomorrow's Easter! Yippee! I've been Lenting off doughnuts and naps for 45 days and tomorrow I get a whole bunch. Yes! Okay, well I don't want to bore you with one of my rants about doughnuts, so I'll just see you next update. Bye!**

**~Telling Time Backwards**

**P.S. If I don't remember what I'm forgetting, I'm going to explode.**

**just thought you should know.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins? I think not.**

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><p>I wake up early in the morning, when the sun is just barely starting to rise. Karma hasn't moved at all since I last saw her, except to breathe and talk in her sleep. "Thank you." She says, over and over, still.<p>

I turn over to face her, then prop my arm up on one shoulder. An idea crosses my mind. I reach out my finger and tickle under her neck. A giggle escapes her lips, one that she's completely unaware of.

The sound, now fresh in my brain, plays over and over. Then, Karma stirs again and wakes up, not noticing me.

"Have a good sleep?" I ask. She jumps, making me laugh.

"How long have you been awake?" She asks.

"Oh, not long." I lie. "Just long enough to see the sunrise."

"Oh. Hey, stand up." She says. I stand. She puts her fist up to her mouth "So, Casey." She says in a deep voice. "Tell us about your life in District Twelve."

"Um… I don't know… I just live?" I say.

"No, no, no." She says. "Try and make yourself more… Capitol like and such."

"Got it." I say. "Well, for starters, we don't have that great food!" I pat my belly and give a thumbs-up.

"Oh! Have you tried the sticky buns yet? Those are my absolute _favorite_!" She says.

"Oh, yes." I lie. "But my favorite would have to be the pizza."

"Wonderful taste!" She yells. We practice the interviews in my room for a few hours, joking and exaggerating things every once in a while. Then Effie comes and tells me that my prep team is here.

"Bye Casey!" Karma says. "Have fun!"

"You too. I bet your prep team's not as annoying as mine." I say.

"Want to bet? My hair is just starting to grow on my legs." She says, pulling up the leg on one of her pants. "You are so lucky. Waxing is just- ugh- _horrible._" Sure enough, her legs are still slightly red and almost hairless.

"Oh. I take that back then. Good luck. See you at the interviews." I say. She waves and opens my door, then runs into my prep team.

"Whoa… sorry." She says. I can hear her snickering as she walks down the hall to her room.

"Casey!" One of them says. I wonder what their names are.

"Are you ready?" Another asks. I nod, showing no hint of how _not_ ready I am. "Great!"

After they do all the embarrassing things again- which I don't want to say, again- they grab another massive bag. They unzip it and hand me a suit. It's very formal and the material is silky. The pants are black, and so is the jacket, but the shirt, bowtie and gloves are white. The jacket is more like a vest, but long sleeved.

"Won't I get hot?" I ask.

"Oh, it's going to be cool today." Another says. Amazingly, that's the smartest thing I've ever heard any of them say. I put on the costume, and they help me with the bowtie. Then, they grab a pair of scissors.

"Whoa, what are you doing with those." I say, backing away.

"We're just going to do some minor adjustments to your hair. Nothing _too_ big." One of them says. I don't feel comfortable with them putting scissors anywhere near my neck or face. "We're experts… done this a million times before."

"Fine." I say. They sit me down in the chair and I watch as parts of my hair fall to the ground. When they're done, they spin my chair around so I can see myself in the mirror. My hair is cut just above my eyes, flopping down. I flip it out of my eyes so I can see, and they scream.

"Do that in front of the audience today, okay?" One of them says.

"Okay." I say.

They brush more stuff on my face, but I don't think it's supposed to be coal dust this time. I look at the mirror and see that I'm slightly shimmering. I don't like it.

"Do I _need_ to shimmer?" I ask.

"Yes." One of them says, and they take me out into the hallway. I see Karma being pushed out of her room.

Again, she's wearing a dress. Again, I almost pass out.

Her dress looks grey with a lot of beads, but when I look closer, I see that it's made from the same material as her punching ring. My eyes flicker to her hand, and her ring is still there. The plastic, but sharp, diamond in the middle of her ring is shining brighter than usual. Anyway, her dress is something I heard her prep team called a V-neck. It does resemble a "V" actually. Instead of straps on her dress, the top of her dress is tied around the back of her neck, holding it up. The dress comes down to her knees, and isn't very tight this time. There are diamonds covering every inch of her dress. I look even closer, and see that they're real. Her hair is curled and braided in low pigtails.

"Wow." I say, tersely.

"Ugh. This is so _short_! And look at my shoes!" She yells. Her shoes are white, sparkly heels that are open toed.

"You look great." I say. She rolls her eyes.

She averts her eyes from her dress, giving up on pulling the bottom to make it look longer. "Whoa, Casey," She says. "What happened to your hair?"

"My prep team happened." I say. I flip it out of my face again, growing annoyed because it keeps falling into my eyes.

"Aah, I see." She says. "Well, let's just get this over with." She says. She grabs my hand and pulls me towards the door.

A man with a headset guides us to a room with all the other tributes.

"Hey, Pretty!" I hear. _Oh, no._ "Want to wish me luck today?" Tay, from District Two, yells.

"No." Karma replies, blandly. "Not really."

I start snickering, and Karma gives me a small smile.

"Ah, you're a tough one." Tay says. "Too bad for you… I like that." He grabs her hand and kisses her knuckle. It's all I can do not to rip his head off right now.

"This way!" Someone yells, and we're being led to our spots in the stadium. Tay walks over to His district partner and whispers something in her ear. She looks over at me.

"Casey, you're behind me." Karma says. I go behind her. Oh, great, I'm last, once again.

We take our spots and watch as the girl from District One struts down to where Claudius Templesmith is standing, waiting for her. They start their friendly conversation, and I'm instantly bored out of my mind.

"Hey, Karma." I whisper. "Do you know anything that can make the time pass more quickly?"

"Oh, yeah." She says. "My father taught me this hand game that they used to play in North America." She holds out her right hand and tells me to hold out my right hand, so I do. She wraps her fingers around mine.

"Okay, when I say 'one, two, three, four, I declare a Thumb War' then you move your thumbs like this." She moves her thumbs back and forth. "The object of the game is to hold the other person's thumb down for more than three seconds. Okay. One, two, three, four, I declare a Thumb War."

We wrestle with our thumbs, trying to hold each other's down. I hold hers down for two seconds, but she escapes.

"Haha!" She says. She hides her thumb in her palm, and I think she's trying to let me win, so I move my thumb down, ready to get hers, when she moves her thumb and traps mine. "One, two, three! I win!" She whisper-yells. We play the Thumb War game until it's her turn to be interviewed.

"Wish me luck." She whispers.

"Good luck." I say back.

She walks over to the stage, confident, but not arrogant. Claudius holds out his hand, and she shakes it, casually. "Hey, Mr. Claudius." She says.

"Hi, Karma!" He says. "My, what a pretty dress!"

"You think so? Thanks!" She says. "I definitely like it better than the one for the Opening Ceremonies. _That_ was uncomfortable." Her and Claudius laugh along with the audience.

"My, you look stunning. I'm amazed, you're only twelve years old! You look like such a young woman!" He says.

"Oh, thank you." She says, smiling. Her cheeks turn rosy red, and I have a feeling she taught herself how to do that.

"Speaking of your age, how did such a young girl like you manage to get a _ten_ in training?" He asks. "I think our audience would like to know that!" He says. The crowd cheers. Karma looks up at me and chuckles.

"I guess you'll have to find out in the arena." She says, mysteriously.

"Oh, fine." He says. "Onto another topic then? How're you liking the Capitol?"

"It's so bright!" She says. "I was almost blinded the other night when we opened the curtains!"

Claudius laughs. "Well it definitely matches your personality! No wonder that boy likes you!" He says. _What? Does he mean me? He can't mean me, I wasn't even interviewed!_

"Um… what boy?" She says.

"The one from District Two. Tay, was it?" Claudius says. I crumple my hand into a fist and punch my leg.

"Oh, that's… how old is he?" Karma says, her face turning slightly red. I don't think she's doing that on purpose.

"Fourteen, I think." Claudius says. "Why? Do we have another romance going on this year?" The crowd cheers.

"Eew." Karma says. "Blech- no, no…no. That's not good. He's- that's gross. Please, don't make me throw up." Karma shudders. The audience roars with laughter. She's a natural.

Claudius chuckles. "Sorry. Changing the subject. Wow, I just can't get over how amazing you look! Your hair is just _adorable_!" He says. "Isn't it?" He asks the audience. They yell "Yes's" and "Absolutely's" all around.

"Thanks!" She twirls on one foot.

"Okay, Karma, I just can't get over your beauty. Do you have a boyfriend in District Twelve?" He asks.

"No, I'm twelve." She says. "Not a good idea for someone my age. It causes too much trouble."

"Oh, I see." Claudius says. "Well your time's up. It was such a pleasure meeting you, Karma! I wish you the best in the arena." He gives her a one-armed hug.

"Up next: Casey Lankan." Claudius says. I hear screaming from a large part of the audience, and several signs that say "We love Casey!"

I stand up and walk over to Claudius. When Karma passes me, she whispers, "Hey, don't forget to flip your hair." to me. I nod my head and laugh. "Good luck!" She says.

"Casey!" Claudius yells, as if we're good friends. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, not so well." I say.

"Why ever not?" He asks.

"My hair keeps getting into my eyes." I say, then flip it out of my eyes. I'm rewarded with deafening screams from those annoying Capitol girls. I look at Karma, and she gives me a thumbs-up. I wink back at her, but obviously, some other Capitol girls think that it's directed at them, because they scream.

"Wow, quite the ladies-man I see." Claudius says. "Is it like that back in District Twelve?"

"Nope." I say. "I'm just another kid back home."

"Do you like the change?" He asks. "I sure would!"

"As a matter of fact, I do." I lie. I smile one of those boyish smiles that Finnick Odair uses. Claudius laughs.

"So, what a reaping you had this year. Not only did you volunteer, but you _pushed_ the original tribute right off the stage." He rubs his face where Augustine collided with the ground. "What made you do that?"

I was afraid he would ask something like that. "Well…" I start, then something pops into my mind. "I was thinking I would never get to see the Capitol, which was something I'd wanted to do for a while. I knew this was my only chance, so I grabbed it." I lie. Hopefully, they don't see right through me.

"Amazing. Didn't the thought cross your mind that you might never come back home though?" He says. _Wow, he's great at making me feel bad for myself._ "Do you think you can win?"

"Eh." I say. "Whatever happens, happens."

"Interesting. So, Casey, what's your favorite part of the Capitol?" He says.

"Oh, _definitely_ the girls." I lie. Claudius gives a hearty laugh while the screaming gets louder.

_Thirty seconds left._ "Well, Casey, best wishes from all of us. See you in the arena!" He says. "And, I think Karma might still feel a little woozy… should I get her a bag?" I look over at Karma, who's holding her stomach and looking a little green.

"I'm good!" She yells, loud enough so that everyone can hear her. I walk back to my seat, giving my hair one last shake. Again, more screaming.

As Karma and I walk into our rooms, she asks me something that I didn't expect. "Are the girls _really_ your favorite part of the Capitol?"

"No. I don't like them. Like you said, I'm making myself Capitol like and such." I say. I crawl into bed, and she comes in next to me.

"Good night." She says.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Karma goes to her room early. I'm forced into a loose jumpsuit with a string on the back.<p>

"Pull the string and the suit turns tight, to help you swim. Expect streams somewhere. When you are done swimming, pull the string and it will loosen, making your walks more comfortable." My stylist tells me. I'm about to walk to the room that will take me into the arena, but Karma stops me, wearing the same thing as I am. She pulls me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Casey," She says. "I want you to find me as soon as possible. Please. We're allies, okay?"

"Okay." I say. She hesitates for a moment, then lets go. She waves, then walks to another room.

I wait in my private room for ten, fifteen minutes before a metal plate lowers itself from the ceiling. I take a deep breath and walk towards it.

Then, the plate rises. The plate that assures my death. I start to hyperventilate, but remember something. _This plate may assure my death, but it sure as Hell assures Karma's victory._

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, next chapter= arena baby! I probably won't be posting until next weekend because school is tomorrow. Poo. So um, I know this is WAY off topic, but I was watching Harry Potter earlier and I thought of a joke. Ready? OK. So Harry must be SCARRED for life, right? HAHAHA! It's funny. Scarred! Get it? Anyway, the other day, I was **_**also **_**watching High School Musical 2 with my friend, just for fun, and that girl- what's her butt… uhh… GABRIELLA! She had her hair in these loose, braided pigtails, so that's where I got the idea for Karma's hair. So, other than the thing I was forgetting, I think that's it- oh! And I got a doughnut! *woot woot!*** **Okay, see you next update! Happy Easter! Bye! **

_**~Telling Time Backwards**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: When I looked in the mirror this morning, I wasn't shocked to see that I'm not Suzanne Collins.**

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><p>The sun in the sky makes things hard to see, but I spot Karma shaking her hair out and putting it in her usual super-high ponytail. She looks at me, not straight in the eye though, and nods. I nod in reply. She's about six platforms down, so it won't be too hard to find her when it's time to start.<p>

"Ladies and gentlemen… let the 76th annual Hunger Games begin!"

Us, the tributes, have 60 seconds to work out a plan. Maybe if I- no. If I go around the- no. If I run through the Cornucopia- oh _no way,_, I'll get killed within the first five seconds!

I look at Karma. She's making two people running with her fingers. "_Follow"_ she mouths. I nod. She points her thumbs to herself. "_Me."_ I nod again. My heart is beating so hard that I think it's going to break through my ribs. The gong sounds and my eyes fly over to Karma. She jumps off of her platform and crouches down before running towards the Cornucopia. _Is she crazy?_

I groan and chase after, making sure nobody is behind her. She's going after a spear that's propped up on a tree. She's a yard away when another girl blocks her. Karma doesn't hesitate; instead, she jumps right onto her back and knocks her down. Karma stands up, brushes herself off, grabs the spear, and hurriedly beckons me over.

She disappears into the woods, and I'm about to follow when a boy falls on me. He's gasping for breath, a knife lodged in his stomach. Unintentionally, he coughs blood on me. I push him off, determined to find Karma. I run into the woods where Karma was. I don't see her until someone grabs my sleeve. It's Karma- thank the heavens.

"Casey!" She yells and hugs me. "Oh my gosh, It's horrible out there!"

"Tell me about it." I say. "Some guy was just stabbed and _fell _on me." I shudder as I try to squeeze the wet blood out of my jumpsuit.

"Well, we need to move unless we want to end up like him." Karma says. I just noticed how close to the bloodbath that we are. I nod and follow Karma, avoiding her spear. There are branches three feet off the ground- that Karma has no trouble jumping over. I, on the other hand, take some time to get over. Karma doesn't seem annoyed by this though.

We walk, or in Karma's case, swing- since she's swinging from branch to branch- for hours until we come across a clearing with a stream of clear water.

"We're going to have to stay here for a while." Karma says, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "They're going to show the tributes soon and it's going to get dark. What do you think?"

"Yeah, we should stay here." I say, panting.

"Okay." she says. "Let's start setting up camp."

"Wha- can't we just rest for an hour or two?" I say.

"Sure." She replies. She starts breaking off branches from trees.

"Oh, _thank_ you." I say.

"We can rest,_ after_ we build camp." she says. She shoves half of the branches that she broke off to me. "Okay, let's start building shelter."

"Ugh." I groan. "Fine."

The whole time we work, Karma barely looks me in the eyes like she used too. Maybe she decided that now that we're in the arena we have to keep everything professional. Well it was a nice week while it lasted.

When we finish making shelter, Karma sighs, closing her eyes. "Wow, that took forever!" she says. "I bet the Capitol's trying to kill us. Giving us all that food last week just so we'll get used to it, then throwing us in- well- _here."_

_Nope, Karma's still Karma._

"You know, that's pretty true. Maybe they are." I say.

"I was only kidding." she says. "I mean, do you really think they would try and kill us before we even went into the arena?"

"Well it's possible." I say. She looks like she doesn't know how to reply, so she doesn't. instead, she sits cross-legged and plays with the head of her spear.

"Can you believe I got this?" She says.

"I can't believe you went running through the Cornucopia like that." I say.

"Look, the spear was sharp, it got my attention." She says. Karma gets up and turns away. She picks up her spear and puts the sharp end near her head. Then she turns her head to the side, grinning evilly. She licks the sharp point. "And you _know_ I like sharp things."

We both burst out laughing.

Huh, who knew that on my first day in the arena, I'd be laughing?

"Hey, I'm hungry." Karma says. "Want to find something to eat?"

"Yes!" I say.

"Okay." She says. She walks over to me, staring at my hands. He grabs my wrists, moves under me, and picks me up on her back like in the training center.

"What are you doing?" I laugh.

"I'm taking you to the Land of Places Where We Search For Food." She says.

"Oh, I've heard that's even nicer than the Land of Stuffed Dummies That We Use To Practice Killing People!" I yell.

"Oh, it is!" She says, quoting me. She sprints out of our camp, jumping over branches and making barely any noise. I close my eyes, only paying attention to Karma's warm skin. I'm getting used to her pace, so I'm surprised when she stops. I open my eyes and see her staring at a backpack in the middle of a patch of uncut grass.

"Does that seem a little suspicious to you?" Karma asks me.

"Yeah." I say. I jump off her back, reluctantly. I grab a twig and prod the bag. Nothing happens. I look at Karma, but she's still staring at the bag. "Er- what do you think's inside?" I ask. She shrugs her shoulders.

"We shouldn't try to find out. Nobody in here would be stupid enough to leave a perfectly good backpack laying around without it being some sort of trap-"

"Hey Pretty, that's no way to talk about somebody." I hear. I bite the inside of my mouth to keep from yelling. Karma spins on her heel.

"Oh… you again." She says, looking Tay dead in the eye.

Okay, I know this may sound selfish, but I can't help feeling jealous that she'll look him in the eyes and not me- even though her eyes are filled with hate towards him.

"Oh, don't sound too happy." He says. "I just wanted to give you your present." He picks up the backpack. "So how about you take back calling me stupid and say 'thanks' instead?"

"I think I'll stick with stupid." She says. "You know, Ty-"

"Tay." He corrects her.

"Whatever. You know, _Tay,_ sometimes I wonder why your little pack is called the 'Careers' since, you know, none of you would be smart enough to even land a _job_. I mean, look where we are; giving your bag to the enemy. This is no place to be a gentleman." She says.

I have to put my fist in my mouth to stifle my laughter; and it still just barely hides it.

"Oh, but you aren't the enemy." Tay says.

Karma puts an annoyed look on her face. "What are you tal-"

"You didn't think I was just going to give you the backpack without something in return, did you?" He laughs.

"What angle are you working at?" She spits.

"Why don't you come with the Careers and me, pretty?" he says. "We have everything to last you a lifetime. Food, shelter… me." He whispers in his un-clean tone. Karma turns green again, looking as if she's going to throw up.

"Look, Tim-"

"Tay." He says, unusually patient.

"What_ever, _Ty, Tim, Tay, same difference!" Karma says. "Why don't you just run along to your little friends and leave me alone because I. Am. Not. Interested."

"Not yet, your not." Tay says. "You'll come along, Pretty." He walks over to her and kisses her jaw-bone. She's turning greener by the second and I can tell that she's doing all she can to not throw up.

"Yeah, sure, that's great." She says. "Bye."

Tay, looking slightly surprised that Karma rejected him, backed away until he was concealed by the woods.

"Okay, let's just find a few berries, I'm not that hungry anymore." Karma says, some of her regular color returning slowly.

"Sure." I laugh. She grabs my hand and pulls me through the woods until we find some blackberries on a vine. Karma squeezes one to make sure they're not too ripe, then we each fill our arms.

The walk back to camp was silent because Karma was trying to focus on getting back to our camp. Once we get there, Karma gives a sigh of relief.

"What?" I ask.

"I was scared that somebody would ruin our camp because we left it so open." She says.

We sit down my the stream of water and dunk our aching feet in it. "Aah." We both moan. We eat our berries in silence as the sky slowly turns darker. We wait for all the cannons of the day to go off since on the first day there are the most deaths. I loose count around eight. I avoid looking at the faces in the sky and avoid listening to the Panem National Anthem.

"Case, let's go to sleep. It's late and we're going to need the energy for tomorrow." Karma said.

_Case. That's what Edwin would call me once we became best friends. I guess that's a good sign._

"Okay. After you Karma." I say, stretching out my arms. She crawls into our… I don't even know what it is; all I know is that it's a shelter. I crawl in after. I lay down on the ground that we covered with leaves. Karma lays down next to me and faces the other way. After a few minutes of dead silence, Karma talks.

"Casey, ask me anything." She says.

"Do you trust me?" I blurt out. After a few seconds, she answers.

"Yes." She says. "I trust you more than anyone."

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><p><strong>AN: Well I have some big test coming up over the next few weeks. Isn't that dandy? No. I don't like tests, but oh well. So I've been Reading the Harry Potter series (I'm on the fourth) and it is officially my second favorite series! Behind The Hunger Games of course. Nothing beats The Hunger Games trilogy; it's just a fact. I won't be surprised if that fact wasn't listed in a textbook in the next few years because THE HUNGER GAMES BEATS ALL! Okay! That's it for now, bye!**

**~Telling Time Backwards **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins continues not to accept my continuing requests to please, please let me possess her soul and write some more stories.**

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><p>My morning wasn't really the best. Or most of my day, really. Well, I'm in the Hunger Games, I shouldn't have expected this to be easy. Karma woke up earlier than me, so when I wake, her warmth, which I've become accustomed to, was gone. I start to panic and scramble outside.<p>

"Karma!" I yell. "Where are y-" Karma comes up from behind me and covers my mouth.

"Shh!" she yells. "The Career camp isn't too far from here! Only Tay knows we're here! You know you've been asleep for two days?"

I move her hand away from my mouth, not surprised at how long I've been asleep. "You know his name?" I ask.

"Yeah." she says flatly. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason." I say, turning around. "Do we have any more of the berries left?"

Karma gives me a sheepish look, staring at the ground and drawing circles with her foot in the dirt. "…No… I ate them…" she says.

"That's fine, we can get some more today." I say.

"Okay." she replies. Unexpectedly, she runs away. I have no idea why, but she just dashes to the water.

"Um, Karma?" I say. "What're you doing?"

"Do you feel that?" she asks. "It's- it's burning _hot_!"

When she mentions it, I notice how much the temperature has risen. Sweat breaks out on my forehead and runs down my face. Karma's face is shining with sweat and we're both fanning our faces. After a few minutes, I can't take it anymore; I pull the string on my suit and jump into the water.

"Aah," I moan. Karma pulls the string on her suit as well and comes in after me. She closes her eyes and floats in the water. She smiles in relief. She pulls out the tie in her hair and dunks her head underwater. I follow.

The water isn't clear, but I can see Karma just fine. She looks at me and laughs, bubbles coming out of her mouth. I smile too; not only because this is nice, but because she's looking me in the eyes. Sure, the blurry water makes it hard to actually _see_ her eyes clearly, but it's better than nothing.

But apparently, in this arena, relief isn't tolerated here.

The water is suddenly boiling hot. Karma screams, still underwater, before we both pull ourselves out. Karma yanks at the string on her jumpsuit, cursing under her breath. I shake my hair out and push it out of my face with my fingers. I pull at my string and take deep breaths when I feel my clothes loosen.

Karma picks up her spear but drops it right after. "Ow!" she yells, swearing again. "Hey, it looks like we're going to have to go without weapons… would that be okay?" she asks, examining her hand, which has turned red.

"Yeah." I say. "Let's go!" I grab her hand, the one that wasn't burned, and we walk into the trees. The shade of the leaves hides us from the sun, which I've decided is the source of the burning heat. Every few minutes, Karma lets out a groan, as do I.

"Casey, should we split up? Try and find food and meet up in fifteen minutes or so?" Karma asks me.

As much as I don't want to, I know it's the best plan we've got, and I'm starving. "Okay." I say. She nods to the ground and runs off into another direction.

I keep moving forward, checking everywhere for food. After ten minutes, I'm disappointed that I haven't found anything; but then I realize I have much bigger things to worry about. A muscular arm wraps itself around my neck and drags me to a clearing. Tay. He lets go of my neck and pushes me on the ground, and I land on my left arm, painfully.

"Get up." He snarls. I stand, wincing when I push myself up.

"What do you want?" I ask.

"Funny you should ask," he replies. "I have a deal for you."

"What is it?" I ask, even though I'm pretty sure it has something to do with "Pretty." It's funny how I'm always right when I don't want to be.

"I'm going to give you two options-" he says, but I cut him off.

"Which are?" I ask rudely.

"You know your friend, Pretty?" he says.

"Yes. Just get on with it!" I yell. "I don't have much time."

"Actually, starting now, you have all the time in the world." he says. "For your first option, I'll set the scene; You go up to Pretty and tell her you don't want to stay with her. You don't give her a chance to reply, just gather your crap and leave. Pretty will be heartbroken that her friend abandoned her, and that's when I come in. 'Oh, Pretty, I'm so sorry'" He says, acting out what he's going to say, "'Why don't you come with me?' Then, she'll be too upset to say no."

I grit my teeth, angry that he believes I'd be thick enough to say yes. "And my other option?" I say through my teeth.

"_Or_ I kill you here and now, then take her with me anyway. You're call." He takes out a knife and checks his reflection in it, baring his teeth.

I guess I _am _thick enough. I think it through. If I say okay, I can still follow them and make sure she's safe, but if I die, it's all in fate's hands. "Okay." I say. He gives me a devilish grin and raises his knife to my cheek, cutting a line through it. I don't wipe away the blood that dribbles down my face.

"That's what I thought." he says. "You know, it's only too bad that when we're the last two standing, she'll have to die a worse death than the others. Last kill needs to be a show."

You know, I may have been in the arena for only three days- and asleep for two of them- but I've been through a lot more than it seems. With the burning hot, the constant reminder of death, I need a sense of relief. Something to make me feel good. And that's exactly what I got, because after the reaping, my mind had been set mostly on dying; what it would feel like, why it would happen.

But let me tell you, nothing has been able to get my mind off death than what just happened.

Apart from Karma, nothing has made me feel better than hearing the crunch of Tay's bones as my fist collides with his face and watching him sprawled out on the ground when the connection between us is broken.

But the feeling is gone in a heartbeat, because when he gets up- using swear words I didn't even know existed- he grabs hold of his knife and raises it, ready for it to plunge in my heart. He's about to bring it down when I hear something in the trees.

"Casey did you find- _holy-_" (She swears)- "_No!_" she screeches.

"Just a second, Pretty, I need to teach this guy over here how to behave." Tay says.

"_Oh, no you won't!"_ She screams. The look in her eyes could kill, but I don't think that would be necessary, because she looks murderous enough.

Karma takes a running start and jumps up, like she did the first time she saw all the food. Her legs wrap around his neck, and she pushes his face back. She lets go of his face and swings her arms back so that they'll both fall. When they're on the ground, she jerks her legs up and flips him over. At first, I think she broke his neck, but I see him struggling to get up.

She grabs the knife from where Tay dropped it and walks over to sit by him.

"You- you- you-" Tay struggles to find a word that is foul enough to hurt her, but that's not very likely.

"I think I know what you're trying to say. You know, Tanner, karma's a bitch. It's really quite sad that I have to live up to my name." Karma says.

I replay that in my head. Clever wordplay.

"Now I can't trust you." she continues. "Sorry."

I know what's coming, and I look away before she does it, but I still hear him gasp for breath as she stabs him.

I look back at her. The murderous look in her eyes stays for a few seconds, then vanishes. Replacing it is something I didn't expect; some sort of weakness. She grabs onto her stomach and runs off, a sob escaping her lips.

I chase after her, but have trouble because she seems to be purposely avoiding me. After running for what feels like an hour, I find Karma sitting on the ground, leaning on a tree trunk, crying with no tears.

"Karma," I start, "I'll never know how to thank you. You saved my life!"

"I just- just ki-killed somebody." Karma says between sobs.

"If it weren't for you then I'd be dead on a Capitol helicopter by now." I reply. "Don't cry."

"Casey! I'm a damn murderer!" She screams. "There's no going back anymore! I'm going to burn in Hell!"

"That's not true." I say. "We're forced into this, you didn't choose to kill him."

"_Yes I did_!" She yells. "I could have chosen to grab you and run! I didn't though. Instead I decided to murder a boy who hasn't even had the chance to _live _yet!" She breaks into hysterical sobs and hides her face in her hands. I can't bear seeing her like this.

"Oh, Karma, please don't cry." I say. "Oh please, please don't cry." I run over to where she's sitting and wrap my arms around her. "Listen; if we weren't in this arena, would you have killed Tay if you had any other options?" I ask.

"I h-had oth-" she starts, but I cut her off.

"Answer my question." I whisper.

"I- I g-guess not." she says. "But that doesn't matter. I did what I did."

"Karma, you may see what you did as murder, but _anyone_ would have done that. This doesn't make you any worse than me or…" I trail off. Without warning, Karma flings her arms around my neck and cries into my shoulder.

"I have- have no idea if your right or- or not, but I'm going to believe you." Karma says. "We need to get back to our camp, it's dark."

We get up and walk to our camp and straight into our shelter. I'm surprised when I see cooked meat and fresh berries inside.

"Did you get this earlier?" I ask.

"Yeah, that's why I went looking for you instead of waiting for fifteen minutes to be over." Karma replies.

"I'm glad you did." I say, my stomach turning slightly. "You know, you really did save my life back there."

"Casey, you wouldn't even need saving if it weren't for me." She says back.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Casey, do your really expect me to believe that you volunteered because you wanted to see the Capitol?" She asks, careful to be quiet so that sponsors won't hear her.

I did.

"No…" I say, making Karma chuckle.

After we eat our food, we go outside to see the faces in the sky. When Tay's face appears, I see Karma flinch and grab her stomach.

"Come on," I say. "We should get some sleep, it's been a long day."

"Okay." She replies.

Without another word, Karma climbs into our shelter after me and sits in my lap. I cross my legs and she does the same.

"Well, good night, Casey." Karma murmurs. Instead of going straight to sleep, she kisses me on the cheek then hides her face in my shirt. Even with her face hidden, I can see the fierce red color that has flooded her face.

I've decided that I'm never washing this cheek again.

Ever.

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><p><strong>AN: I can't wait for Summer vacation. When it comes up, I'll be able to post more frequently and get on to the second book of this series! Well, The Hunger Games movie is coming more and more near and I'm super happy I could explode! I don't care if the premier is on a school night, I'm going, and dressing up as Katniss. Yeah… some of my friends got creeped out by that because I said I was going to draw Peeta's face on a balloon and tie it to my wrist. Is that creepy? Okay er- I am still trying to remember what I was forgetting; seriously, it's been like two months and I still can't remember! This is making me very angry. Humph. If I remember- which isn't likely- then I will say it, and I will say it happily. Just thought you should know that. Okay, happy Hunger Games I guess! Bye for now! And reviews would be appreciated!**

**~Telling Time Backwards **

**P.S. Just thought you should know, there's this shooting game called G.H.O.S.T. Team or something like that, it is so FUN! I played it for like ten minutes before I ran out of tokens at that one place.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Ask Suzanne Collins what books she wrote. When she doesn't say "A Strange Sense of déjà vu," you'll know I'm not her.**

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER COULD MAYBE POSSIBLY BE SORT OF INTENSE- (But don't let that stop you from reading!)**

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><p>I wake up with a stinging pain in my leg. I roll up my pant leg and see three long scratches on my calve. I go outside to find that it's way earlier in the morning than I usually wake up. Knowing immediately that I won't be able to go back to sleep, I leave Karma a knife and decide to take a walk.<p>

Ten…. Twenty…. Thirty minutes I've been walking and I'm half sure that I've been going around in circles. I'm checking over my shoulder, expecting Tay to jump out of nowhere like last time and finish me off.

_He's dead, _I remind myself, _gone._

But I still look over my shoulder, just in case.

I'm wandering aimlessly now, and I'm worried that I'm lost, when I see the clearing where Tay died. But that's not what bothers me. I hear a dreamy voice coming from there.

I walk in the mud, as to not make any noise, and peer between some branches. I see a skinny girl sitting in the middle of the clearing. She seems to be talking to somebody, but nobody is there. She has long dirty blond hair that goes all the way down her back, but that's all I can see because she's facing the opposite direction from me.

"No, no, no!" she laughs. "I wouldn't help- what?" Her dreamy voice makes me happy for some reason. "He's behind me?" she asks the air.

I freeze, going rigid everywhere. _How does she know I'm here? I made absolutely no noise!_

"Is it the District Twelve boy?" she asks. After a few seconds of silence, she talks again, as if somebody were talking to her. "Oh, good. I've been wanting to talk to him." she says. She turns her head upside-down to look at me. "Hello, Twelve!" she says in a sing-song voice. I step out of the branches I was hiding behind, but don't talk.

She stands up and turns to face me. She has a slight tan and piercing, sea green eyes. District Four. Career.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"I am called Aqua." she says. She then takes two clumps of her hair and starts playing with them.

Hesitantly, I reply. "I'm-"

"-Casey," she finishes for me, scratching her chin. "You're… five feet and three inches, your best friend is _amazingly _less awkward that you, I'm probably starting to frighten you right now, and you're confused about the one you love, _Karma."_

My hand flies to my cheek. "_Shut up!"_ I hiss. "We're on T.V!"

"Oh, I don't think we'll be filmed right now." she says. "I expect there's a battle going on." her huge eyes widen. "A bloody one, at that."

Not even a split second later, I hear a piercing scream, then a cannon fires.

"I can help you, you know." she says.

I know she means about Karma. "How?" I snap, angry that she found out.

She tilts her head over, her bangs falling to the side. "Let me put it this way. I have a sort of… sixth sense? I'm psychic, some may say."

Then, she reaches into her thin hair and pulls out a sharp knife that I hadn't noticed. At first, I think she's going to try and stab me, but instead, she cuts her arm and sucks the blood that is gushing out. She gives a fierce groan of delight, her pupils turning tiny and her eyes growing wide again.

She must have seen the disgusted look on my face, because she adds, "Pardon me, I love the taste."

I keep quiet, so she takes it as a sign to continue. "Emphasis." she says. She reminded me of a little girl, scary as she is, so it surprised me when she said that.

"I'm… I'm sorry?" I ask.

"Just listen to the emphasis in words today, it will help you sort things out. Understand." she says.

"How will that-?" I start, but she interrupts me.

"Karma is looking for you! I best be off! Bye, Casey!" she sings. "Come tomorrow, you'll understand!"

And without hesitation- to my surprise- she lies down in the mud. Then, she makes herself straight as a log and _rolls away._

Yes, she _rolls._

I stand in the same spot, not quite sure what just happened. After a minute or two, I her Aqua's voice tickle the back of my neck.

"And sorry about your leg." she says. I jump the other way and look at her, quizzically.

"How do you know about my leg?" I ask.

A guilty, but slightly amused, look spreads across her face, and I understand.

"Aqua, did you- _did you suck my blood?" _I yell.

She raises three sharp nails that are covered in dried blood and nods before running away.

And thanks to that maniac, I had to limp back to shelter.

When I get back to our shelter, I'm attacked by Karma. She gives me a short, fierce hug, before yelling at me.

"Where the hell have you been?" she hisses. "I have been looking everywhere for you!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I yell. I'm about to continue, but she goes on.

"Sorry doesn't cut it! I had absolutely no idea if you were okay! I thought that was your scream! Your cannon!" she yells, close to tears. "Tell me where you're going next time!" And at that, she storms into our shelter.

I give a heavy sigh and walk inside. Karma is sharpening her spear with a rock, and I don't feel comfortable sitting next to her in her mood, so I sit on the other side.

When Karma is done with the spear and the knife, she looks outside.

"Can we get more food?" I ask reluctantly, knowing that she's in the perfect position to yell at me again. But instead, she seems back to normal.

"Oh! I almost forgot, Katniss sent us some stuff!" she yells. She runs outside, and returns with a big bowl and two spoons. "We each get five spoonfuls today."

We each grab a spoon and dig in. Within twenty seconds, my five spoonfuls are gone, but my stomach is still rumbling.

"Can we go get more food?" I ask.

Well, I should stop letting my guard down with Karma.

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING WHEN YOU WERE GONE?" she booms. "I'D FIGURE THAT IF YOU WERE GONE, YOU'D AT LEAST BE DOING SOMETHING THAT BENEFITS US BOTH!"

"I was going to get food," I lie defensively. "I… couldn't find any."

Karma can't find a retort, so she strides out of the shelter, muttering to herself. I follow.

Karma seems to be trying to get away from me, because she's doing her monkey swings on the branches again. I'm running to match her pace, but soon, my hands are on my knees, and I'm gasping for air. Karma, looking as if she just went for a jog instead of swinging from branches for a mile, jumps onto the ground.

"Should I just look for the food?" she asks, looking upset about something.

"Well… do you want to?" I ask.

"Sure. Could you bring me the knife though?" she replies. "Then maybe you could keep watch or something."

I nod and walk back to camp. When I get inside out shelter, I grab the knife and begin my way back. Halfway there, I hear a deafening scream even worse than the first, coming from around where I left Karma. I dash into a sprint, following the sound of voices.

I'm led, once again, to the clearing where Tay died. I see Karma's head on the ground and hands holding down her shoulders. I run to where she is, ignoring the pain in my leg, but trip over a root of a tree, perfectly concealed by branches and bushes. I drop the knife a good five feet away from me.

A girl holding her down bends her face over to greet Karma's. Their noses are touching, and Karma looks revolted.

"So! Here we are." the girl says. "You killed a boy who clearly liked you. Am I correct? You killed Tay?"

Karma flinches at the name and turns green. "No!" she screams. "Get off of me!"

The girl slaps her. "Don't lie!"

Karma struggles to move but, like me, she is immobile. The girl on top of her looks around my age, but could pass off for fifteen.

"Get off of me!" Karma repeats.

"Fine." the girl says. But instead of getting off, she grabs a huge rock and places is on Karma's stomach. Karma's eyes grow wide, and she's gasping for air. Tears trail down my face at the sight of her, always so strong, but now so in pain.

"Now," says the girl. "I am not going to kill you; just cause you unbearable pain. Consider yourself lucky."

Karma's eyes fill with tears as they follow the girl, who is walking over to a medium sized rock. The girl tosses the rock up and down in her hands as she look at Karma scornfully.

Karma whimpers as the girl bends down and places the rock beneath her left elbow. At first, I don't understand what she's doing, until she stands up and raises her foot.

A sob escapes my chest, but it's barley audible.

The girl brings her leg down hard and breaks Karma's arm.

Karma rolls over, the big rock falling off, and screams. She grabs her arm, shaking uncontrollably and crying, tears falling rapidly down her face.

"And as for you." she says, coolly. She walks over to where I'm laying down and grabs the collar of my shirt, dragging me to a tree right in front of Karma. Karma's eyes grow wider.

The girl, I think from District One, slams me on the trunk of the tree.

"Mmm," she says, licking her lips. She moves in closer to me, putting her arms on either side of my head. She bends her arms, her lips barely a centimeter from mine now. My heart is beating rapidly, and I want nothing more than to leave.

"So you're thirteen?" she asks.

I turn my head and nod. She moves her head as well. Her lips are touching mine, and I hate it.

"Interesting," she says. "Interesting…."

One of her arms drops to my stomach, and she starts to trace circles on the thin fabric. Another sob escapes my lips, and tears slide down my cheeks more fast.

She bites my bottom lip before moving her mouth to my ear.

"You know, nothing is illegal in here." she whispers, twirling my hair with her fingers. "Sometimes, we're not on camera. It's amazing what people can get away with in the Games…. I know a place without cameras…." She pushes herself closer to me.

Karma starts crying harder.

"Get… away… from him," Karma snarls through gritted teeth. "Now!"

"Don't want me near your boyfriend?" she asks, not turning away from me. Her fingers are tracing my abs now.

"Now!" Karma screams.

The girl laughs and doesn't acknowledge Karma any further. She puts her thumb on my jaw and turns me back toward her face. She moves in closer than she already was, and there is no space left between us. I feel my lips being crushed into hers…. Her mouth forcing mine open….

Karma cries even harder, screaming and shutting her eyes.

"Please, stop it!" she screams.

That's too much for me; I break free of the girl and push her off. Using the girl's shock as an advantage, I take a swipe for the knife, but the District One girl is too fast. She raises the knife and stabs me in the stomach.

With all the adrenaline coursing through my veins, the pain isn't as bad as it should have been. I scoop up Karma and run as fast as I can to our camp.

After five minutes, I'm starting to feel lightheaded because I'm loosing too much blood, but I keep going until we get to camp.

When we're by our stream, I drop a shaking Karma and fall down.

"No!" screams Karma. I'm starting to see double, but I still see Karma unzipping her suit, taking off her undershirt, leaving on her bra- and making me uncomfortable even though I'm on the brink of dying-, zipping up her suit again quickly, and wrapping her undershirt around my stomach tightly, stopping the blood flow all with one arm.

"Katniss!" she yells. "Can I have something for my arm?"

A minute later, a small white parachute falls from the sky. Karma rips open the box with her teeth and takes out a cast, putting it on her elbow.

Her eyebrows are creased and she's frowning.

"What? What's wrong?" I ask. Karma sniffs.

"N-nothing," she says. Then she stands up and builds a small fire. Then, she closes her eyes and blows it out.

"Casey?" she says. "Do you know what today is?"

"…No." I say.

She gives a small, humorless chuckle. "Today's my birthday."

My heart sinks. Today is Karma's birthday, and she spent it almost getting killed.

"Happy birthday," I say quietly. "Thirteen…"

"Yeah, happy." she looks at the fire's remains. "Real happy."

She stands up and dusts off her hands, then walks over to where I'm sitting. She lies down in my lap and looks at the sky as the anthem plays. A girl from District Three is dead, but that's it. When the anthem is over, and everything is quiet, Karma starts twisting her eyebrows in her fingers, as if concentrating.

"Well how was it?" she asks.

"What?" I reply.

Karma grows rigid and I can see her blush scarlet. "Your kiss."

"Oh!" I say, turning the same shade of red. "Nasty."

I'm not sure, but I think I see Karma's mouth twitch upward in a smile.

"How did it… feel?" she asks awkwardly.

"Well… wet… and- er- not good…." I reply.

"Really?"

"Yeah." I say. And before I can stop myself, I add, "I'd rather it was you."

"Me too." she says.

I can't believe my ears. Did she really just say that? I have to be sure, so I lean down, but she continues talking.

"I mean it's one thing for a _friend,_ but not some stranger." she says. "But can you imagine how awkward that would be?" she gives a shaky laugh.

I stop moving. Of course, she just didn't like that she was a stranger. Nothing to do with me. I need to stop getting my hopes up.

I go into the shelter and sit far away from Karma; I don't think I'll be able to resist the urge to kiss her, so I need to keep my distance. I see Karma's expression and feel guilty.

"Remember that first night on the train?" she asks.

"Yeah."

"Worst ever." she says.

"Why?" I reply.

"I was still scared."

I sigh. Missing her heat, I move over and wrap her in my arms. I'm weak; not able to resist her for two minutes.

She laughs. "Not ever going to recover, Casey."

"Well, looks like we're going to have to sleep like this for a while then." I say.

"Good."

I kiss the top of her head, keeping my lips there for as long as I dare.

We stay in silence for a while. I'm almost asleep, Karma's heartbeat as my own melody, my lullaby.

Before I fall into a deep sleep, I catch a whisper in Karma's voice:

"It's real."

Then, unable to keep my eyes open for one more second to try and understand what she means, I fall out of the real world.

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><p><strong>AN: Hey! I'm so sorry for not posting! I've been busy with some things, but, believe me, I wanted to write so bad! Y'see, this is my last year at my school before I go to the next grade, so our grade is having a whole bunch of events. We have spirit week- hope I win queen!- and picnic and urban hike and water park field trip and graduation! No it's not a high school graduation. But I have to buy a dress! I don't like dresses! Well, not on me. Not my style. So yeah…. So I'm forgetting more things, so I guess that's it…. Please review and see you guys next update! Ciao!**

**~Telling Time Backwards**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Otno Uzannesu Ollinsco. (Translation: Not Suzanne Collins)**

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><p>In the morning, I wake up early again. I think of the previous morning. I remember that I'm supposed to meet Aqua.<p>

What did she want me to do again? Emphasis or something? The only emphasis I heard yesterday was "friends."

I walk over to the clearing. I see the bloody knife on the floor and pick it up. I place it in my hood.

"Aqua?" I whisper-shout. "Where are you?"

"Here!" she yells, louder than necessary, from behind me. I jump out of the way, my hand clutching my heart.

"Stop that!" I yell.

She giggles, covering her mouth with the tips of her fingers, which are still covered in my blood.

"Did you listen to the emphasis yesterday?" she asks.

"Yeah," I say. "What's 'friends' got to do with anything?"

She frowns. "Oh…. I'm sorry." she says.

"What?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" she asks. "You and Karma are just friends. Nothing more."

"…So?" I say. "I know that. Besides," I add. "She doesn't believe in love."

"True. Very true." she says. "But don't give up on her. By the looks of it, she'll come around."

"No she won't." I say quietly. "She made it very clear."

"Casey-"

"Hey!" I hear somebody yell.

Aqua sighs, "That'll be Jade."

I'm guessing Jade is the girl from One. Great.

Jade kicks some branches out of her way, scowling. When she sees me, it seems as if fire is burning in her eyes.

"Hey, baby," she says. "Karma not here?"

"Don't call me 'baby.'" I mumble.

"What's that?" she asks. "Aqua, _scram_!" she yells, jerking her head. Aqua obeys immediately, keeping her head down.

"Now, where were we?" she asks. She walks toward me and I back away. I trip over and fall backwards. I scramble up and run away as fast as I can.

When I get back to camp, I'm happy to see that Karma is still asleep.

Stupid Jade. She is horrible to Aqua. I mean, sure; Aqua might be insane, but it's just impossible to _not_ like her. I hate Jade, making Karma cry and being such a jerk-butt to Aqua.

I got the term "jerk-butt" from Karma, calling her brother that once.

Anyway, I hope I never see Jade again. Hopefully she'll be dead before I get angry enough to kill her myself.

I grab a stick and walk into our shelter, where Karma is snoring away, some drool trailing down her face. I grab a twig and crouch down by her face. Then I pick her nose with the twig.

She snorts and sits upright immediately. She grabs her spear and holds it at the ready. When she sees me laughing, she scowls.

"Not funny, Casey," she whines, rubbing her eyes. She makes a weird noise that sounds a lot like "Ngyahh."

"You're right. It was _very_ funny." I say matter-of-factly.

She purses her lips and then we both burst out laughing.

"Shut up, jerk-butt." she says to me, pushing my shoulder. She's so strong that she knocks me on my side.

"Ouch," I say, grabbing my heart. "Rude much?"

"Yes."

We start laughing again.

"So," I say. "What are doing today?" I ask.

"We're going to kill off the Careers. All but one," she says. "The boy from One. I thought that if we leave one, he might think that somebody else killed his allies and kill them."

I consider this. "Who's all left in the Career pack?" I ask.

"Both from One, the girl from Two," she says with a wince. "there's, um, there's… a girl from Five for some reason, and both from Four."

"Aqua!" I yell.

"What?"

"No! Don't kill Aqua!" I plead.

I probably shouldn't like her, considering that she sucked my blood while I was asleep, and then reminded me that Karma and I will never be together, and the fact that she is a bit scary, but there's something about her. I just have to like her. And I don't want her dead.

"What are you talking about?" she asks, looking at me as if I were going insane.

"I'm not crazy," I say. "Oh! I forgot." I pull out the knife from my hood.

"Whoa…" she says. "Casey? Do you need some rest? You don't… seem too well."

"I'm fine. I found this on the ground."

"Okay. So what is Aqua?"

"Not what," I say, shaking my head, and my hair. "Who. She's the girl from Four. Let's leave her instead."

"Why?" she asks. "Do you guys know each other?"

"You could say that," I reply.

"Is she nice?" she asks.

"Yes," I reply, not knowing what this has to do with anything.

"Then we have to kill her," she says.

"What? Why?" I ask.

"Because the plan won't work if we leave the nicest person in the pack. Casey, this is about the crappiest plan ever made in the Hunger Games history. It's crucial that it works." she says, grabbing the knife from my grasp and taking it to the stream to clean the blood off of it, and I follow her.

"Well can't we leave both of them?" I ask.

"Think, Casey," she says. She accidentally cuts her finger with the blade and starts sucking on it. "If we were alone, we'd both be dead right now. This Aqua character could keep the One boy alive, and vice versa. The sooner everyone else is dead, the sooner one of us gets home, okay!" she yells.

"Okay, sorry," I say, putting my hands up in defense. "So how are we going to kill them?"

"Dunno," she says. "I was thinking maybe scope them out a bit and-" Karma is interrupted by a cannon firing. After a few seconds, the girl from Five is taken by a helicopter.

"Well then," she says. "she's dead. One less person to kill. Anyway, I was thinking we go to the Career camp, watch them for a while, see their weak spots, and get them."

"Oh, do we have to kill them individually?" I ask.

"Well not unless they were stupid enough to activate the bombs again like two years ago." she says.

I can hear the laughter coming from the Capitol.

"Well Careers can be stupid in different ways." I say. "For example, volunteering in the year that we're in," I say with an arrogant grin.

"Now you're talking," she says, and we high five. But on the inside, I feel sick.

* * *

><p>"Could you stop with that swinging thing?" I say. "It's really making me feel bad for myself, 'cause, you know, <em>some people don't know how to swing on branches like monkeys.<em>"

Karma jumps down and makes monkey noises, scratching her underarms. "Sorry," she says. "I had to…"

I smile.

"Hey we're almost there," she says. "Oh… I mean we're here." She points to a tree.

"Are you saying that the Careers are living in a tree?" I ask.

"No," she laughs. "I mean we're going to climb this to watch them." She puts a _duh _face on and grabs a branch.

"Let me know how that works out for you." I say with a thumbs-up. I start to walk in the opposite direction, but Karma grabs my hood and pulls me back.

"You're funny," she says. "Come on."

"Ugh. If I die, I'll kill you," I say, hoisting myself up on the tree.

"Good luck with that," she replies.

When we're high enough the see the Career's camp, I gasp.

"Whoaaaaa," I say. The Careers have built a wall of rocks that guards their food. If I squint, I can make out a rope that is concealed by vines. My eyes travel up the rope until I see a bow and arrow perched up in a tree. The rope is somehow clipped to the string of the bow, so if somebody tries to steal the food, they'll get an arrow in the heart.

Well, then.

"Look, look, look!" Karma whispers, hitting my arm and pointing to Jade. Gross.

Wait….

"What's up with her head?" I ask.

Jade has her hands pushing on the sides of her head. She's rocking back and forth in fetal position. Every few seconds, she'll let out a moan of pain.

"I think it has something to do with noise. I could see her face scrunch up when I was screaming," Karma says. "One weakness. Now, we need to find her strength."

"Why?" I ask.

"Because," she replies. "We can lure her with that…. Or do you want to do something else? I'm all ears." She doesn't sound sarcastic.

"Um… I don't know. Go to that clearing where you killed Tay-" Karma's face turns green at the mention of him- "She tends to go there."

"Then leave it to chance?"

"Yep."

"…Okay," she says. "Katniss, help. Send us something please," she says, looking at the sky.

When we get to camp, we find that Katniss did indeed send us something. An extra spoon.

"What the hell," Karma says, more as a statement than a question. "What are we supposed to do with this?"

"I dunno. Scoop out our competitor's eyeballs?" I say with a laugh.

Karma looks thoughtful for a second, as if she is considering this, and I wonder if she's gone mad.

"I'm kidding," I say.

"Okay."

"…Okay."

"Yep…" Karma says, rocking back and forth on her feet. I don't get how this turned so awkward.

After thirty seconds of silence, I speak up again, but I only make it worse.

"Well, okay then."

Karma purses her lips, hesitates, then walks into the shelter right as the anthem starts playing.

"Karma!" I yell. "Get back out here, time for the faces."

"I don't want to watch," she says.

"Too bad," I say. "You have too."

She comes out and stomps over to me like a little kid, making me laugh.

"Only one person died. Why do we have to see her face?" she complains.

"Because it's the rules."

"Because it's the rules," she replies, mocking me. She grabs my arm and falls backward, taking me with her.

When the girl from District Five shows on the screen, Karma sighs.

"She's pretty," she says, which is an understatement. The District Five girl had long brown hair and pale skin. Her eyes scrunched up when she smiles in her picture. She couldn't be more than fifteen.

"Well, I guess we can go inside now?" she suggests when the sky goes black. Without waiting for my response, she goes inside, holding her stomach.

"Are you sick?" I ask, when I walk in, worry crossing my face.

"No," she replies. "I'm okay."

"Eat," I say, grabbing the bowl of food that Katniss sent us a few days ago.

She takes a spoonful, then feeds me a spoonful as well. "No more," she says.

"No more," I whisper.

I stare at her, sitting cross-legged right next to me as she mixes the food with the spoon. I wonder if she'll miss me, when I'm dead. If she'll remember me.

She reaches across me to set the bowl down, then straightens up.

Then, she does something that she hasn't done in what feels like months. She looks at me in the eyes. It's only for a second, but I realized that I took it for granted whenever that warmth spreads through me when she looks me in the eyes.

I realize that there is no possible way that I could come out alive without Karma, knowing I'd never feel that way again.

I realize that if Karma died, I'd go completely mad.

We're killing those Careers. Not one of them is going to touch my Karma.

"My Karma," I whisper.

I hold out my hand, and she takes it. Then, she lies down next to me.

"Good night," she says, smiling widely.

"Good night," I reply.

She lets go of my hand, kisses her own, then smacks me on the face.

"What the-?"

She starts laughing. She rests her head on my heart and closes her eyes, drifting off.

Instead of falling asleep, I find that my eyes are fixed on Karma. I pay close attention to her slight snoring. She starts mumbling gibberish after thirty minutes, before I can start to make out words….

"Don't… don't lea… leave…." she says, slurring her words. "Casey… stop… stop running."

"No, I'm here," I say.

My voice seems to soothe her. She bites her bottom lip and smiles.

"Bum-bum," she whispers. "Bum-bum, bum-bum."

"What?" I say.

Then I realize she's whispering the beat of my heart.

Curious as to what she'll do, I gently lift her head off of my chest.

"Where… where are… you?" she asks. "No…. no, no, no, no…" she sounds as if she is panicking. Then, tears start to stream down her face.

I put her head back on my chest, only it doesn't stay for long….

In the distance, I hear a boy yell in pain and a canon firing, waking Karma up, her fists balled up as if she were ready to fight. I give her a look, but all she says is, "Force of habit."

"Who do you think is dead?" I ask.

"I don't know," she says. When she talks, I see little puffs of her breath and notice how much the temperature has dropped, which is a lot compared to this evening.

"Karma, do you feel that?"

"What?" she asks, but she's visibly shaking.

"It's cold. Like, freezing," I say.

"Oh, yeah I feel that then," she says. She is so pale it's almost scary. "Let's see how cold the water is."

She takes my hand and drags me out of the camp, taking the knife and the spear in her other hand.

Every step is regretted because I want my body to be scrunched up together, warming me up, but Karma takes long strides to the stream, taking me with her.

The water in the stream is frozen on top, but just to make sure, Karma, who keeps a blank face, crouches down, grabs a rock, and lobs it at the stream. It flies straight through, proving that the ice couldn't be thick at all. Probably just frost.

Karma gestures for me to sit beside her, so I do. She hands me the spear.

"Just in case," she yawns.

* * *

><p>For the next few hours, I sit cross legged, and Karma sits in my lap while I braid her hair into pigtails, unbraid them, then braid them again like I did with my little sister.<p>

When the sun is just starting to rise, I hear a twig snap.

Karma looks at me, then grabs her knife, and stands up, pulling me up effortlessly. Either she's really strong, or I need to put on some weight.

For thirty seconds, we're both starting to think we're imagining things, but then another canon fires, and we hear a yell of pain that couldn't be more than fifteen yards away. I'm pretty sure the girl who yelled isn't dying.

Karma grabs my wrist with her left hand, and the knife in her right.

"What was that?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: My longest chapter ever! Okay, so it's Summer Vacation and, since I usually don't do stuff for summer, I thought I would be posting, like, every day. But I've been gone almost every day, doing stuff. That's a real change. Anyway, I've got ideas for my second story! I'm so excited, I think I'm going to try and start it by the middle of August. I just need a title, so that you guys know which story it is, so if you could leave some suggestions in your reviews, I would be so happy! Maybe I could give a little sneak-peek at the summery. So, I've been asked this question by some of my friends who were reading: "Do the Gamemakers change the rules again this year?" and my reply is this: "No." Because that would be unoriginal, in my opinion. But Casey and Karma always have a few tricks up their sleeves…. *smiles* **

**Okay, I'll see you next update, and also, thank you **_**so**_** much to all my reviewers! It's the greatest feeling when you get a new review, so I really appreciate it!**

**~Telling Time Backwards**


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